Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28061894›Full record

ArticleHuman resources for health2017

Reasons why specialist doctors undertake rural outreach services: an Australian cross-sectional study.

Belinda G O'Sullivan, Matthew R McGrail, Johannes U Stoelwinder

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Human resources for health, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
1.2field-weighted citation impact, top 22% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 18 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Identifying the experience of geographical narcissism during medical education and training.Advances in health sciences education : theory and practice · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Belinda G O'SullivanMonash Rural Health, Office of Research, Level 3, 26 Mercy St, PO Box 666, Bendigo, Victoria, 3550, Australia. belinda.osullivan@monash.edu.
Matthew R McGrailMonash Rural Health, Northways Road, Churchill, Victoria, 3842, Australia.
Johannes U StoelwinderDivision of Health Services and Global Health Research, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Australia.
Monash Health · AUMonash University · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe purpose of the study is to explore the reasons why specialist doctors travel to provide regular rural outreach services, and whether reasons relate to (1) salaried or private fee-for-service practice and (2) providing rural outreach services in more remote locations.

methodsA national cross-sectional study of specialist doctors from the Medicine in Australia: Balancing Employment and Life (MABEL) survey in 2014 was implemented. Specialists providing rural outreach services self-reported on a 5-point scale their level of agreement with five reasons for participating. Chi-squared analysis tested association between agreement and variables of interest.

resultsOf 567 specialists undertaking rural outreach services, reasons for participating include to grow the practice (54%), maintain a regional connection (26%), provide complex healthcare (18%), healthcare for disadvantaged people (12%) and support rural staff (6%). Salaried specialists more commonly participated to grow the practice compared with specialists in fee-for-service practice (68 vs 49%). This reason was also related to travelling further and providing outreach services in outer regional/remote locations. Private fee-for-service specialists more commonly undertook outreach services to provide complex healthcare (22 vs 14%).

conclusionsSpecialist doctors undertake rural outreach services for a range of reasons, mainly to complement the growth and diversity of their main practice or maintain a regional connection. Structuring rural outreach around the specialist's main practice is likely to support participation and improve service distribution.

Indexed as

Attitude of Health PersonnelMedically Underserved AreaMotivationPhysiciansRural Health ServicesRural PopulationSpecializationAdultAustraliaCross-Sectional StudiesFee-for-Service PlansFemaleHealth Services AccessibilityHumansMaleMiddle AgedOutreachReasonsRuralServicesSpecialist doctor

Identifiers

PMID28061894
PMCPMC5219693
OpenAlexW2568644441

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.